General Election 2015: David Cameron vows to slash £10bn of regulation for small businesses
David Cameron has said his party is engaged in a "battle for the backbone of Britain" and that meeting small businesses "pumps" him up, unveiling the Tories' small business manifesto in a noticeably more passionate address than in the previous weeks of campaigning.
The Conservatives plan to relieve small businesses of £10bn worth of regulation if they win the General Election and want to see 600,000 new businesses created every year by 2020.
Cameron vowed to launch a review into how the next government could make life easier for the self-employed. He added there would be a "radical" investigation of the business rates system, which has been widely called for by business groups for some time.
The employment allowance which currently applies to 450,000 small business would also remain in place under a Tory government.
Cameron's performance in London was full of energy and well received by the party faithful. The animated remarks follow on from a widely praised speech he delivered yesterday marking something of a shift in Cameron's tone. The Tory leader has been under fire over the course of the campaign for failing to show enthusiasm for winning the election.
Responding to a question from ITV News about his upbeat performance, the PM confirmed he had his porridge for breakfast.
The pledge was boosted this morning by a letter to the Telegraph signed by 5,000 small businesses supporting the Conservatives. However, this display of support had some of the shine removed when it was rather unsurprisingly found out to have been orchestrated by Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ).
Asked by Sky News whether today's speech was a response to Ed Miliband's "hell yes" moment when the Labour leader sought to toughen up his image during the televised leader one-to-ones a month ago.
The PM took a shot at Miliband, saying he preferred to give a speech in the traditional English rather than hiring an American coach to train him to give him a line, in a thinly veiled reference to reports Miliband has hired a "leadership guru".
The PM hopes a more feisty campaign may shift the polls that still have the Tories in a dead heat with Labour.
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